Students

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• Housing / Council Tax definition who is a student
• Students who can claim Housing / Council Tax Benefit
• Couples
• Full-time students
• Halls of residence
  

Housing / Council Tax definition who is a student

For Housing and Council Tax Benefit purposes a student is defined as any person who is attending or undertaking a course of study at an educational establishment. This includes:

•  Study at any level, whether full or part time.

•  Students with or without loans or grants.

•  Both state-funded and private establishments.

•  Both term time and during holidays.

Students who can claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

All students who are currently receiving income support or income-based Jobseekers allowance:

• All part-time students
•  Students under 19 not in higher education *
•  Students aged 60 or over, or whose partner is over 60
•  Students (couples or lone parents) who are responsible for a child or young person
•  Students who are responsible for a foster child
•  Students who qualify for a disability premium because they:
   Are registered or certified blind
   Ceased to be registered or certified blind within the previous 28 weeks
   Receive Disability Living Allowance
   Student who are disqualified from incapacity benefit 
•  Students who have been incapable of work for 28 weeks or more
•  Students whose grant assessment includes a disabled student’s allowance for deafness, even if they get a grant for fees only
•  Certain students who were absent due to illness or because they were providing care for another person

Couples

In the case of a couple, eligibility will depend on whether or not both parties are students. If both are students they will not be eligible for benefit unless either or both of them fall into one or more of the above categories. In this case the eligible student should make the claim for benefit. If only one of the couple is a student, then generally the non-student should make the claim for benefit.

When a claim is made the assessment will take into account the income, capital and personal circumstances of both parties. 

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Full-time students

You are considered to be a full-time student if you attend any of the following:

•  A degree course in England or Wales.
•  A sandwich course.
•  A further education college in England, providing that the course involves more than 16 hours per week of ‘guided learning’ as set out in the ‘learning agreement’ obtainable from the college concerned.
•  If the course is modular it could be full-time, part-time or mixed attendance. In these cases students would count as full-time only during the parts of the course for which they are registered as full-time.

 
Halls of residence

Full-time students who are eligible for Housing Benefit can claim the benefit even if they live in accommodation provided by their educational establishment.

* Higher education means first degree, post-graduate and higher degree courses, course for the further training of teachers, youth and community workers, courses for the Diploma of Higher Education, the BTEC/SVEC Higher National Diploma or Higher National Certificate, the Diploma in Management Studies, the Certificate in Education or any other course at a level higher than GCE A level or Ordinary National Certificate.

General information on claiming as a student.